WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Gallup's U.S. Job Creation Index reached +32 for the month of May, the highest Gallup has found, by one point, since 2008...

...Shortly after Gallup began tracking job creation in January 2008, the index nosedived as the Great Recession wreaked havoc on the economy. After remaining in negative territory for most of 2009...

...The results are based on interviews with 17,609 U.S. full- and part-time workers conducted May 1-31 as part of Gallup Daily tracking...

...Nationally, workers' improved perceptions of hiring activity in their workplaces are a good sign for the economy as summer begins. The positive trend on job creation matches other reports of low unemployment that Gallup and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics have found. However, there have also been several negative economic news items. Gallup's measure of Americans' economic confidence dipped in May, and consumer spending was flat, but was down from prior highs. Altogether, the economy appears to show a mixture of good signs and bad signs. However, this new high in perceived job creation is a good sign for U.S. employment.

The Small Business half of the economy has clawed its way back to a somewhat normal level of economic activity according to the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) monthly surveys. The NFIB’s Index of Small Business Optimism has just reached its 42 year average, taking years to regain its footing after the official end of the Great Recession in June, 2009.